1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical reading apparatus for optically reading various types of information attached to an article.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent trend of store automation, optical readers for optically reading the data expressed in bar codes printed on commodities have been installed particularly in many big stores, such as supermarkets and chain stores. The optical readers are used in combination with cash registers and POS (point of sales) terminals. The commodity data read by the optical readers are fed to the related cash register and/or POS terminals for the purpose of necessary data processing and storage. When using the optical reader, an operator or cashier picks up one of the commodities contained in a basket, checks a bar code printed area of the picked up commodity and puts the area toward a scanner window of the optical reader, and moves the commodity so faced in front of and across the window.
A bar code printed on the moving commodity is scanned with a laser beam emitted from a laser tube contained in the optical reader and applied through the single window. The laser beam reflected from the bar code is used for reading the bar code expressed data of commodity. A range within which the bar code reader can read the bar code (referred to as a read range) is defined by the size of the window, and additionally an angle of emitting the laser beam, scanning pattern, and an intensity of the reflected light.
Because of presence of those factors limiting the read range, one time read motion by the operator frequently fails to read the bar code. To reduce such failures of bar code reading, the operator checks the bar code printed location on the commodity and turns the location toward the window, and moves the commodity across the window while keeping the bar code printed location faced to the window. Such a bar code reading process physically and mentally strains the operator.